It is reported that Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal – Allāh have mercy on him – said:

Al-Shāfi’ī saw me sitting in his circle, and there was some ink on my shirt I was trying to hide. He said, “Young man, why are you hiding it? Having ink on ones clothes is a sign of lofty conduct: to the sight it is black, but to the insight it is white (with the light of knowledge).”

It is reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Al-Mubārak – Allāh have mercy on him – said: